About the author

Jan Hulsen grew up on a farm with dairy cattle and pigs. He began studying agricultural science and then switched to veterinary medicine. He worked for three years working as a farm vet, then started to focus on education and consultancy. To that end, he became involved in journalism, marketing and business management.

With his company Vetvice, Jan developed the CowSignals® concept, and wrote the successful CowSignals books series.

Further information on the book

CONTENTS:
Introduction. Goal: Producing Dairy Cows

• Investing in the future
• Different phases
• Picking up Young Stock Signals
• Working with young stock signals
• Recording infections/biosecurity
• Biosecurity - limiting infection transmission
• Success factors for preventing infection and disease transmission
• Monitoring procedures for young calves

SECTION ONE: Calving and the first days of life

• Dry cow and heifer introduction
• Calving - layout and organization
• Assisted or unassisted calving
• Plenty of fresh colostrum, quickly
• Colostrum management
• Cleaning schedule + disinfecting your equipment
• Colostrum quality - antibodies and bacterial count
• Removing the calf
• Housing for the youngest calves
• Diarrhoea - prevention and action

SECTION TWO: Up to and including weaning

• Solid feed
• Feeding calf malking
• Group housing - manual feeding and automatic feeders
• Bedding down
• Water
• Planning and calf movement day
• Organization
• Assessing health
• Condition assessment
• Treating the calf
• Weaning
• Diagnosis checklist for diarrhoea in young calves

SECTION THREE: Housing and organization

• Goal - plan - action - measurement - evaluation
• Climate and ventilation
• Respiratory health
• Solid feed and roughage are a must
• Solid feed and roughage intake
• Barn layout and housing space
• Cleaning and disinfectng individual housing
• What do you do if you see this?

SECTION FOUR: On the way to getting in calf

• Mineral supply
• Growth, weight and body condition
• Correct ration composition
• Growth tables
• Body condition score
• Heat detection and inseminating
• Getting in calf
• Grazing
• Basic rules for driving cattle

SECTION FIVE: From getting in calf to introduction

• Accommodation - comfort and acclimatization
• Observing critically
• Hoof health
• Calves also need to learn
• Desirable and undesirable behaviour
• Daily feed intake - rumen fill score
• Composition of the ration eaten - manure score
• Main inspection and interventions for in-calf heifers

INDEX

Delivery

This book weighs: 600g

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